Engelbert Humperdinck honoured with Guinness World Record ahead of Eurovision Song Contest

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Guinness World Records has today recognised Engelbert Humperdinck as being the oldest male Eurovision Song Contest entrant.

Mr Humperdinck (UK, b. Arnold Dorsey, India, 2 May 1936) will represent the United Kingdom at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest at the age of 76 years 24 days.

Humperdinck, who is most fondly remembered for his million-selling 1967 single "Release Me", will perform the track "Love Will Set You Free" at the 57th annual contest, which takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 26 May 2012.

On being awarded the record Mr Humperdinck said "I'm proud the achievement and now want to go on to win the competition."

Had it not been for the 2012 Russian entry Buranovskiye Babushki (the Buranov Grannies) - a group consisting of eight grandmothers, one of whom, Natalya Pugacheva (reportedly older than Humperdinck), is 76 years old - Humperdinck would have been the oldest ever Eurovision Song Contest entrant, male or female, in the competition's 57-year-history.

The first Eurovision Song Contest took place in Lugano, Switzerland, on 24 May 1956.

Engelbert Humperdinck previously held the record for the most consecutive weeks on UK singles chart.

He stayed on the chart for 56 weeks with "Release Me", from 26 Jan 1967.

The record has since been beaten by The Black Eyed Peas with their single "I Gotta Feeling" which spent a record 63 consecutive weeks in the UK Top 75.